The charm­ing jewel of the hin­ter­land

MIX­ING qual­ity, cul­ture and na­ture, it is no won­der Montville is a hot spot for both in­ter­state and in­ter­na­tional vis­i­tors.

Montville was orig­i­nally called Ra­zor­back due to the steep ridge on which it sits.

Keen cy­clists chal­lenge their fit­ness by ped­alling up the “zig zag ra­zor­back”.

Sit­u­ated at the mid­way point along the Black­all Range, there is a charm about Montville that is some­where be­tween early Fed­er­a­tion Aus­tralia and an English or Ir­ish vil­lage.

The shops and build­ing styles give a hint of the Swiss and Ger­man Alps. Apart from feel­ing as though you are on top of the world, you could be any­where on a global scale. Montville is like a pic­ture post­card in so many ways.

There is a tra­di­tional vil­lage green, an his­toric church, com­mu­nity hall and pri­mary school.

Un­pol­luted crisp, clean moun­tain air greets you, so be ready with warm cloth­ing.

While it may look blue and sunny, the el­e­va­tion cer­tainly low­ers the tem­per­a­ture more than just a few de­grees.

Cling­ing to the east­ern es­carp­ment, this pic­turesque vil­lage hugs the range giv­ing dress-cir­cle views of the coast­line, from Noosa and Coolum to Ma­roochy­dore, Caloun­dra and Moreton Is­land.

On a clear day you re­ally will think you can see for­ever.

The first to se­lect land were E.J. Bur­nett and G.L. Bury in 1881, but the first to take up res­i­dence were Peter and Is­abella Weit­e­meyer who hand-picked their al­lot­ment in 1887 on the present Mill Hill Rd. Other fam­i­lies soon fol­lowed.

In 1888, Wil­liam McClin­tock se­lected land for a farm on what be­came the site of the town­ship of Montville. In 1893 Henry Smith and his broth­ers ar­rived. Henry built the only cat­tle dip in town and also opened the first shop and Post Of­fice in Montville. Smith’s first two sug­ges­tions of a name for the Post Of­fice - Ra­zor­back and Ver­mont - were re­jected as hav­ing al­ready been used.

So he sug­gested Montville, the name of his home­town in Con­necti­cut, USA, and this was ac­cepted.

It ac­cu­rately lives up to its name ori­gin “vil­lage of the moun­tain”. With an al­ti­tude of about 400m, the area en­joys cool sum­mers and chilly win­ters.

Montville was pre­dom­i­nantly a log­ging then farm­ing com­mu­nity of dairy, citrus, av­o­ca­dos, pineap­ples and ma­cadamia nuts.

The charm­ing main street is lined with a va­ri­ety of shops and busi­nesses fo­cussed to­wards the steady stream of tourists as well as cater­ing to lo­cals.

Arts and crafts, health and well-be­ing; all find a fit within the Montville land­scape.

With a va­ri­ety of din­ing op­tions in Montville and its sur­rounds, there is no short­age of places to en­joy a de­li­cious meal. From fine bistro din­ing ac­com­pa­nied with a choice bot­tle of wine, to cafes and restau­rants; the range of dif­fer­ent tastes is well sat­is­fied. The area will please the wine palate and the sweet tooth.

Apart from lo­cal vine­yards, Montville’s bou­tique sweet shops are a treat as they en­tice with deca­dent hand­made choco­lates or fudge.

Drive down West­ern Ave to Lake Ba­roon and pic­nic by the wa­ters.

Then there is the renowned Spicers Clovelly Es­tate, a very spe­cial treat for any oc­ca­sion.

To­wards Maleny, you’ll ex­pe­ri­ence the charm of Gard­ners Falls or the beauty of Mary Cairn­cross Re­serve and the spell-bind­ing view of the Glasshouse Moun­tains.

Montville has a pleas­ant mix of hous­ing, from cot­tages and de­signer homes to hobby farms and acreages.